Jewelry articles are cleaned with ultrasonic cleaning equipment, high-pressure steam, cleaning solutions, solvents, and other cleaning methods. These cleaning mediums are often inappropriate for extended contact with the skin of the user. Consequently, a number of tools are employed for positioning the jewelry article.
Grasping tools such as long-handled tweezers or hemostats are often used because the jewelry article may be affirmatively positioned for visual inspection and accurate cleaning. The jewelry article often includes a device (e.g., jewel, gemstone) that is affixed by one of a number of means: channel setting, pave setting, prong setting, tension setting, invisible setting, inlay, burnish setting, pick setting, glue setting, and pre-cast setting, etc. Often, the temperature, pressure and vibration of cleaning loosen a device (e.g., jewel, gemstone) mounted to the jewelry article. Grasping tools let a loosened jewelry device fall from the mounting, which can cause embarrassment, inconvenience or expense, especially if this loss occurs in the presence of a customer.
To avoid loss of a jewelry device, often an enclosed tool such as a basket is used. As a particular example, a spring-handled basket tool is used that opens a spherical basket formed from two hinged hemispheric wire baskets. Similar or identical spring-handled tools are more generally used for infusing loose tea in a tea cup. These basket tools do avoid the loss of jewelry devices. However, the jewelry article is allowed to tumble within the basket, which may prevent a thorough cleaning or may cause scratching.
Consequently, a significant need exists for an improved jewelry-cleaning tool that accurately positions a jewelry article while capturing any dislodged gemstones or jewels.